Crews work to become water rescue experts

Last month, members of Northeast Search and Rescue were waist deep in the rushing Pocono Creek, rescuing two Stroudsburg men who decided to go kayaking on high waters left from days of heavy rains.

CHRIS REBER

Last month, members of Northeast Search and Rescue were waist deep in the rushing Pocono Creek, rescuing two Stroudsburg men who decided to go kayaking on high waters left from days of heavy rains.

On Sunday, NESAR's volunteer members were back on the creek, albeit with lower waters, practicing those same techniques and learning what they could improve on from that creek rescue.

"It's all about education. You can't be figuring it out during the call," NESAR Chief Bruce Barton, the rescuer during the May incident, said.

The summer vacation months usually yield the most calls for water rescues in the area. On Saturday, a man was rescued in Saw Creek Estates, and there were two other reports of missing boaters and swimmers on the Upper Delaware River just last week.

"This weekend and next weekend are going to be big. If the weather is hot, people want to go swimming," Barton said.

Barton says the No.1 way for boaters to prevent rescue situations is to bring a quality life jacket whenever they're on the water — even if they're tubing.

"They're made for pools," he said of store-bought inflatable tubes. "That tube is not a safety device."

NESAR members took to the creek this week to review their work from last month's rescue to see how they could improve. In that case, Barton said, the team had to work with limited time, because they weren't called in until the boaters had been distressed in the water for some time.

He said while ideally the group would have 15 rescuers ready to assist, they have to adapt to best serve the calls with the number of rescuers they do get.

"We always have guidelines, we don't have protocols. You have to have flexibility," he said.

In order to make sure they're prepared, water rescuers must be recertified each year. They drill even more than that, so they're prepared for any conditions on a call.

The group follows a routine that most beginning lifeguards know: Reach, throw, row and go.

First, they try to reach to the victim with a pole from shore. If that doesn't work, they throw a bag of rope while holding one end, in hopes that the victim can grab it. If there are enough personnel present, they'll try to use a specially designed raft that is attached at each shore.

Only if all of those methods fail, a rescuer goes into the water to retrieve the victim.

NESAR members said they joined as a way to serve the community, and be part of a team.

Evan Scott of Bushkill said with a new family he no longer had time to respond to all of the calls from his fire department.

"Search and rescue is a little more consolidated, about 30 to 40 calls a year. It's a lot of fun, a good group of people," Scott said.

The nonprofit organization's rescue services also include assisting other authorities in water recovery efforts, when a victim is presumed dead. They also do searches on land and disaster and weather emergency recovery efforts. And they have a K-9 rescue team.

Members said drilling with the team is a nice way to spend the weekend, but it's serious service when a call comes in.